


star-struck

by bramblecircuit



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Autistic!Keith, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, nonbinary!hunk, they/them pronouns for hunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 08:04:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11482134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bramblecircuit/pseuds/bramblecircuit
Summary: "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be hugged, man. It's like having a nice warm beverage—but on the outside.”Hunk comforts Keith after a shutdown.





	star-struck

_“Keith, I want you to work on individual maneuvers with your lion. You’re lagging a little behind.”_

Keith lowered his fist and backed away from the wall. No. No punches. No bruises this time. 

_“Keith, I want you to work on—Keith, I want you to work on—Keith, you’re lagging a little—”_

“You’re lagging a little. I know,” he whispered. “I know! I get it, alright! I’m just…” He turned from the wall and sunk onto the floor by his bed. _I’m so far behind._

“Keith? Can I come in?” Keith winced. It’s not that he didn’t want to see Hunk—he wanted it enough to cry, actually—but the likelihood that he could get off the floor seemed as improbable as lighting the room on fire. “I’m…coming in, OK? Just to check on you.” 

The door opened for them, and Hunk walked inside. “Hey, man. Rough day?” Keith looked down, rocking slightly. He was shivering now, almost violently cold, and Hunk sat next to him, concern painted on their face. “Do you need a hug?”

Keith forced himself to nod. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be hugged, man. It's like having a nice warm beverage—but on the outside. Wait, does that make sense?" Keith laughed, the sound surprising him. 

"Yeah, it kinda does."

"Good. So get your hot beverage of choice!" They opened their arms and grinned at him, and Keith felt something in him loosen. Slowly, he unfolded his arms and lowered them to the floor.

"Hunk, I..." He grimaced. "I might need some help getting up."

"Oh! 'Course, yeah." Hunk braced himself and held out a hand. "Do you need more, or..."

"If you could..." Keith averted his eyes. "Both hands, maybe."

Hunk pulled him up, and Keith caught himself thinking that his partner was more than capable of handling his shutdowns. But he was jolted out of his thoughts when Hunk wrapped him in a hug warm enough to turn every candle into wax. 

"So," Hunk said, smiling at the way Keith pushed himself into the embrace. "How're you feeling?"

"Mmmf."

God, this boy was adorable.

"What was that?" Keith pulled back just enough to speak.

"Good."

"Good?"

"Yeah." Keith sunk back into the hug and sighed softly.

"Then let's stay like this for a while."

* * *

"I think I want to talk about it." Hunk slid their hands to just above Keith's hips and pulled back to look in his eyes. "It wasn't any different than usual, really. I just...couldn't handle being told off like that."

Keith broke away and paced. "Shiro knows so much more than I do, and everyone else in that room—" He turned. Hunk stood on the other side of the room, too far away to touch. "You know I trust you guys, but some of you know things about your families that I just..."

Keith felt the hopelessness creep up his arms again. "Stuff I wish I knew. Sometimes I wish I had what you have. And it doesn't—" 

Keith cut himself off. He didn’t want to get angry, not with the one person he trusted the most. The only person who looked at him rocking and crying and shouting and didn't see a different Keith—just the same one in need of more kindness than usual. 

"'It doesn't' what?" Hunk spoke softly, resting his hands on Keith's shoulders. Keith relaxed at the gentle pressure.

"It doesn't seem _fair_."

* * *

"Hey, Keith! Wanna show you something. Have a minute?" Hunk stood in the doorway of Keith's room, looking anywhere but at the boy's eyes. The room was so sparse that they had no choice but to return to Keith's face, and they searched it, nervous at finding any hesitation, instead discovering a quiet openness that made their heart swell. 

"Yeah. I've got some time."

"Great!" Hunk winced at the enthusiasm in their voice. It wasn't that exciting, their little surprise. Just a place they liked to go to at night to think. And maybe Keith had his own place, had dozens of places. Or maybe he thought it was stupid. Who needs a place to think? Maybe he thought—

"Man, Hunk, you’re looking seriously out of it." Keith interlaced their fingers and squeezed. "I'm sure I'll love it. Just lead the way."

So they did. They took Keith through a labyrinth of hallways and corridors; they took him past storerooms and locked doors and beautiful, unexplained places until they arrived at a small opening in the wall. 

"After you," they said, ushering Keith through the door. _I hope he likes it. I really hope he likes it._

"Hunk..." Keith spun around, grinning. "This is _incredible!_ " The room was small, but it felt expansive: the walls curved toward a huge circle at the far end. Beyond it, Keith thought he saw planets, but he paused to take stock of the other treasures in the room.

He bent to pick up an old instrument and tilted it so its gold sheen caught the light. It all looked so foreign to him, like the only surviving relics of some distant past, but he loved it. He loved the seclusion of the place, the mystery of it—everything down to the expansive patch of starlight on the floor. 

But most of all, he loved that Hunk trusted him enough to share it. 

“You like it?” Hunk watched him run around the room and examine the equipment in the corner, handling it so gently Hunk thought they might melt. Slowly, he approached the magnificent circular window at the far side of the room. 

“Look at the stars from here!” He pressed his face to its center. “They look so close! How did they do that?”

“I think it’s a kind of enhanced magnification,” Hunk said, joining Keith at the window. “I’ve tried to replicate the effect, but I couldn’t get it right.” They took a small piece of glass out of their pocket and looked through it. “Yeah, from here, you just look weird.”

Keith stood on his tiptoes to look through the other end. 

“Hellooooo, Hunk! Looking a little skinny, there.” 

“Oh yeah? Well you look…like…uh…a really cute beanpole?”

Their laughter unfolded into the small room, and Keith rested his head against Hunk’s shoulder. There was nothing to worry about now, not in this room with the stars so close and luminous. Not with comfort less than a finger-width away.

“Keith! Look at that comet!”

Not with how star-struck he felt following Hunk’s pointing finger into the distance, the two of them filled with so much light.


End file.
